Graphic design platform Canva has offered to sponsor a nationwide design competition to rebrand Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), inviting Pakistanis to create a new visual identity for the national carrier under its new ownership.
In a LinkedIn post on Monday, Ahmed Iqbal, Canva’s General Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the company is keen to engage with PIA’s leadership to discuss the proposal.
According to Iqbal, the initiative would cover the redesign of PIA’s logo, brand guidelines, aircraft livery and relaunch marketing campaign.
He said the project could serve as a unique opportunity to restore public confidence in the national airline.
“Designed by Pakistanis, for Pakistan,” Iqbal wrote, adding that Canva is also willing to sponsor a substantial prize pool for the competition.
Iqbal said the airline was once among the region’s leading carriers and is now entering a new era in 2026. He added that involving the public in the transformation could help revive Pakistan’s design heritage while fostering national pride.
He also shared concept images of two PIA aircraft featuring traditional Ajrak-inspired artwork, noting that the designs were created by a non-professional designer using Canva and Affinity software. “Imagine what could be possible if the entire country participated,” he wrote. Affinity is Canva’s subsidiary that develops professional creative software.
It is worth mentioning that Canva is a free web-based graphic design platform that enables users to create social media graphics, presentations, posters and other visual content without requiring professional design skills.
